When people think of climbing a mountain, they conjure up images of a brave soul clinging
to a vertical rockface with
their bare hands, with a harrowing fall to the earth below. Or an intrepid alpinist
dressed from head to toe in a down
suit, taking step after step in deep snow, axe in hand, while roped to their teammates.
Neither of these apply to Mount
Kilimanjaro despite its formidable height.

Mount Kilimanjaro does not require any technical skills. It is what is
known as a “walk up” mountain because, well, you
just walk up it. There is no need for mountaineering equipment like harnesses, ice axes
or ropes because there is no
danger of falling off a cliff or into a crevasse. Furthermore, there are no parts of the
trail where one has to be
particularly talented in rock climbing.

Kilimanjaro is known as “Everyman’s Everest” because it is a challenge that is completely
doable by laymen. If you asked
around, you would probably find that you have a few friends, or friends of friends, who
are not the most outdoorsy
people yet have successfully stood on Uhuru Peak. More than 30,000 people attempt the
mountain every year and the
demographics of those visitors show that people from all walks of life come here to test
their mettle. Young and old,
experienced backpackers and complete newbies, all have a place on this mountain.

Just because Kilimanjaro is located close to the equator does not mean it is scorching
hot. It’s not. Almost
immediately, as soon as you gain elevation, the temperature drops. That means everyone
needs to have clothing that is
designed to keep them warm in cold weather.

During the day, it often is warm as long as the sun is visible. So during dayhikes you
will probably be pretty
comfortable wearing a single base layer on top and trekking pants. Occasionally, a soft
shell jacket for when the clouds
come or a hard shell if there is a strong breeze. At night, it’s a different story. As
the sun sets, the cold comes too.
It’s not uncommon to wear a down jacket and knit hat even on the very first night.

Almost certainly you will have nights where temperatures fall below
freezing. This will be apparent when you find that
ice formed on your tent while you slept overnight. As long as you have the right
clothing and right gear, this is a
non-issue ( Newday Safari rents -30F rated Mountain Hardwear sleeping bags to
clients, provides foam sleeping
pads, and houses climbers in sturdy Mountain Hardwear Trango tents).

Kilimanjaro expeditions are fully supported , meaning that a team of
guides, cooks and porters accompany climbers on the
trek to do all the work. The porters set up the tents, take down the tents, cook the
food, fetch the water, and clean
the campsite. Clients do not have to use their precious energy doing any labor and
instead can focus on acclimatizing to
the altitude and enjoying the hike.

For every client, there are around three to four personnel. This may sound excessive,
until you realize what is actually
brought on the mountain. First, there are the sleeping tents and the dining tents. There
are sleeping pads and sleeping
bags. In the dining tents are folding tables and plastic chairs, as well as lanterns,
silverware, bowls, and dishes. The
food is prepared in a kitchen tent, equipped with a stove, fuel, pots and pans. And this
food and equipment is required
for not only the clients, but for the staff serving them as well.

The staff will carry everything described above. In addition, they carry most of the
clients’ gear too. Because of this,
climbers do not have to carry heavy packs. With minimal gear, just
enough to take care of any immediate food, water, or
clothing needs, clients can focus on enjoying the hike. Typically, climbers’ packs weigh
15-20 lbs. at the beginning of
the day, with three liters of water making up almost 7 lbs. of that.

Unlike western backpacking trips, where the bulk of the caloric requirements are met with
dehydrated food, powdered
mixes and processed items, the meals on Mount Kilimanjaro are made with fresh
ingredients. Our clients eat real meals
consisting of fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, and grains, as well as an assortment of
snacks.

The chef and his helpers prepare your meals in a kitchen tent using a kerosene stove
(open fires are no permitted on the
mountain. We can cater to vegetarian and vegan diets.

We believe that providing tasty food is an important element to successful climbing. At
altitude, people often lose
their appetite. And not eating is harmful to acclimatization and also inhibits recovery.
So we serve food designed to
keep people nourished while providing enough energy to continue hiking.

Newday Safari crews carry enough food for every client and every staff person to last
several days and have more
rations brought into camp once or twice during the trek so the food is always fresh and
plentiful. Our clients often say
they eat better on the mountain than they do at home. We believe them.

The air is thinner at high altitude. This is the cause of a common illness experienced by
climbers known as acute
mountain sickness (AMS). AMS is the primary reason that people fail to reach the summit
of Mount Kilimanjaro. And while
mild forms of AMS are expected while climbing Kilimanjaro, severe forms of AMS are
potentially fatal.

AMS arises when the human body is adapting to the lower oxygen levels at high elevation.
This process, known as
acclimatization, creates some biological responses to combat the oxygen deficiency. More
oxygen carrying red blood cells
are produced. The respiration rate is increased. When these actions are not sufficient
to compensate for the reduced
oxygen in the environment, AMS symptoms begin to appear.

Symptoms usually start with a light headache, feelings of nausea and some fatigue. With
time, these disappear as the
body acclimatizes to the current elevation, before the body is retested again at a
higher elevation. As long as one is
recovering in this manner, it is a sign that the body is overcoming the oxygen
deficiency and there is no cause for
concern. In fact, some people who acclimatize quickly will not feel symptoms at all.

If symptoms do not go away, and become progressively worse, AMS becomes dangerous. Two
types of severe AMS – high
altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) can lead to
death. HAPE and HACE results in
bleeding in the lungs and brain, respectively.

Our team conducts health checks twice daily to monitor the well-being of our clients. The
health checks consist of
oxygen saturation readings, a review of pulse rates, and a survey of symptoms. The data
is recorded to evaluate changes
over time. If the guides determine that it is too risky to continue, you will be
escorted down the mountain for your
safety. We carry bottled oxygen and a portable stretcher on every climb, and can
coordinate an evacuation on foot or by
helicopter in case of a medical emergency.

One of the first questions people ask about Kilimanjaro is where do we poop? First, let
us describe where other people poop. Then we will describe where our clients handle their business.

On the mountain, there are “long drop” toilets at every campsite, pictured above. They
are simply holes dug into the ground with a wooden shelter constructed above it. A ceramic “launch pad” is where you stand or squat over the opening.
As you might imagine, long drop toilets are disgusting and filthy and best avoided.

For Newday Safari clients, we provide private toilet tents, shown in the photo on
the right. The toilet tent consists of a plastic commode covered by a phone booth sized and shaped tent for privacy. The commode is complete with a cover, toilet seat and water based flushing system. You use it just like a regular toilet at home. A few hand pumps sends water to rinse out the bowl.

There is no wifi connection on the mountain. Cell service is very, very spotty. During
each day, there may only be one
or two possibilities to make a call, text or email. But you should not depend on it.
Cloudy weather can sap the strength
of the signal. If you would like to use your phone, ask the guides when and where you
might be able to get a signal. Or
simply observe when the local crews are on their phones.

Likewise, there is no electricity on Kilimanjaro. There is nowhere to charge camera
batteries or smart phones, so plan
accordingly. Bring enough camera batteries to last the entire climb. A portable external
battery pack is great for
recharging phones. In our experience, solar chargers are unreliable and generally do not
work well.

We encourage you to use this opportunity to step away from busy city life and work life
and to reconnect with nature. It
is interesting that silence plus outdoors can spark deep thought and self-realizations
that otherwise would have laid
dormant. Use this time to reflect on what is important in your life. Ponder if you
should re-commit to the path you are
on or whether to make a change. This way, climbing Kilimanjaro just might be a
life-changing experience for you like it
was for others.

There are many different routes you can take up Kilimanjaro and they all take you to the
same place – Uhuru Point, AKA
the summit. But we strongly recommend booking routes that are between seven to nine days
long. This goes for everyone,
even if you are extremely fit, very experienced and in your physical prime.

So why would you intentionally prolong the climb when the primary goal is to reach the
top? Please refer to point five
(because AMS is dangerous). The slower you ascend, the easier it is for the body
to acclimatize
. Therefore a gradual
ascent, enough to initiate the acclimatization process but not too much as to overtake
the body’s ability to adjust, is
key.

The shortest routes on the mountain are five days up and down. When you dig into the
details, you will see that is just
three and a half days to climb from 6,000 feet to 19,340 feet. If that sounds incredibly
difficult, it is, which is why
park authorities report that the success rate for five day itineraries is a paltry 27%.

Don’t spend your hard-earned money, time, and effort only to become ill after a couple
days on the mountain. Though
summiting Kilimanjaro may not be in the cards for everyone, the most practical thing you
can do is increase your odds
dramatically by adding more days to your climb. Chances are you will feel better, enjoy
yourself more, and get to the
top.

The typical day hikes consist of walking short distances at a slow pace, with gentle
elevation gains. Most people would
not consider these days as strenuous, but light and enjoyable. Summit night is a
different story. It will be difficult
for almost everyone.

This final ascent is different from the usual routine for a few reasons. It starts with
being woken up around midnight.
So you do not get a full night’s sleep beforehand. In other words, you begin at a
disadvantage – sleep deprived.
Secondly, because it is the middle of the night, it is dark. You won’t be able to really
see what is around you and
where you are going. Your guides lead the way and you follow. A headlamp illuminates the
path just a few steps in front
of you. In the distance, you can see other headlamps far above and become disheartened
about the effort required.

Third, it is cold. The climb to the summit puts you into the arctic ecological zone,
where no plants or animals live. As
you might guess, the arctic region is cold. And because this final ascent is done in the
early morning hours, well
before sunrise, the temperature can easily be below zero degrees with wind chill. This
might sound terrifying but with
the appropriate layers of clothing and accessories, you will be fine. Most people wear
four layers on top and three
layers on bottom, along with hat, gloves and gaiters. The wind and cold need to be
endured for about 6-7 hours. It warms
up quickly when the sun rises.

The elevation gain is around 4,000 feet, followed by a 9,000 feet descent. This can take
between 10 to 14 hours, or for
some, even longer. In the moment, you might wish you were at home, resting on your comfy
sofa. Don’t fret. Step by step,
inch by inch, you will make it.
Many people say it is the hardest thing they’ve ever done.
But the effort required is
what makes it worthwhile. In the end, climbing Kilimanjaro is something to be proud of
because you endured this
hardship, pushed on, and ultimately succeeded.

Sorry to break the news, but climbing Kilimanjaro is not cheap. Even though Tanzania is a
third world country, the fees
imposed on tourists who visit national parks are quite high. In fact, most of the
expenses incurred by Kilimanjaro
operators are made up of mandatory park fees. At this time, the park permits, other fees
plus government taxes equal
more than $120 per person per night. When you see considerable prices for Kilimanjaro
climbs, understand that these
numbers are a function of these costs that the operator has no control over.

Secondly, as we mentioned above in point three (climbs are fully supported), there is a
lot of manpower involved in
every Kilimanjaro expedition. For instance, a group climb of 15 people requires a crew
of more than 60 staff members.
Therefore, labor costs make up another large portion of total expenses.

Climbing the mountain day in and day out is a tough job. At Newday Safari, we
reward our crew by paying them one
of the highest wages on the mountain (only behind luxury operators who charge double our
prices). Our staff consist of a
great bunch of people trying to make an honest living and they deserve it.

As the #1 mid range guide service on Mount Kilimanjaro, our group climbs
are competitively priced. There are budget
operators who charge less but climbing with them comes with its risks. There are also
luxury operators who charge much
more, which we feel is unnecessary. We are positioned where we can deliver great
service, with a high standard of
safety, at a fair price. This is why our

clients rave about our operation
and refer their friends and family to us for
their own Kilimanjaro adventures.

Kilimanjaro is quite accessible for such a faraway destination. Tanzania
has an international airport known as
Kilimanjaro International Airport (airport code JRO). The airport is located near the
towns of Arusha and Moshi. These
two cities serve as the gateways to Kilimanjaro expeditions. Nearly all climb and safari
operators are stationed in one
of these places and will use accommodations here for their guests before and after their
trips. We launch our trips from
Moshi for most of our clients. Arusha, which is closer to Tanzania’s northern wildlife
parks, is used for those only
going on a safari.

Arriving at Kilimanjaro airport, one can transfer to either Moshi or Arusha in about 40
minutes by vehicle. Taxis are
readily available, perhaps too available, as you will be hounded by taxi drivers as soon
as you exit the airport. But
most operators offer pick up and drop off services for your convenience. If you have
arranged for a transfer, just
ignore the crowd and look for the driver holding up a sign with you name and newday
safari
Tours on it.

There are a variety of choices to fly into the country – KLM, Turkish Airways, Kenya
Airways, Air Kenya, Qatar Airways,
Precision Air, Tanzania Air, Ethiopian Air and FastJet. We recommend
KLMfor the most dependable service. However,
flights from the USA to Kilimanjaro airport are always time consuming, The shortest
flights have at least one stop in
Amsterdam, with a total travel time of around 20 hours.

Don’t fly home right after climbing Kilimanjaro! It would be a shame to not spend some
time in Tanzania’s famous
national parks. Tanzania is known as the world’s best safari
destination. Home to UNESCO World Heritage Sites –
Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park – the country attracts thousands of
visitors who come for the chance to
see the Big Five (elephant, leopard, lion, buffalo, rhino) and more.

So, before you book your return flight in haste, consider extending your holiday. We
offer a number of itineraries to
suit your needs and desires, from day trips to multiple day itineraries, with
accommodations in lodges, permanent tented
camps or luxury hotels.

A seasoned guide will take you where the animals are in durable, four-wheel drive Land
Cruisers. Our vehicles are
equipped with pop up roofs let you observe wild animals in their natural habitat –
clearly and closely, without any
barriers or obstructions. If you are lucky, you might witness a cheetah stalk a gazelle,
a pride of lions bring down a
buffalo, or a herd of wildebeest stampede across the open plains. These are sights you
will never forget.